Hey guys, I'm really anxious now because I've recently had unprotected sex with this guy. He's 22 and I'm 19. I don't know what is going on in my mind that I allowed him to top me without a condom and I'm really afraid that I might contract HIV and I noticed my anus did bleed a little, although he told me not to worry because he is clean and that he even did a body check up, including the ELISA test, which shows "non-reactive" (He took a picture of the report and showed it to me). The body check up he did was in the end of June, and it is now the beginning of September. I'm really anxious right now and have no idea what to do. He also said that he did not have any sexual activities after the body checkup and I trust him for that because he has a really tight schedule. Should I be worried or am I actually worrying for nothing? Your help and advice is really appreciated! :icon_sad:
Okay since you said that he did not actually cum inside of you, but remain unsure whether he did pre-cun inside of you. I'd like to repost this comment I made regarding a guy who was in a similar situation as yours... I am sorry to say but there is no empirical data showing the rates of HIV transmission through Pre-Ejaculate or Pre-Cum. In saying that HIV has been detected in the pre-ejaculate of HIV-positive men. However pre-ejaculate fluid is believed to have less viral count and thus lower infectivity. Little is known about levels of HIV in pre-ejaculate and how it relates to HIV levels in blood or semen. However, because HIV has been detected in pre-ejaculate it means there is a possible risk for transmission. As for bottoming the general risk estimate from anal sex, if top has HIV, is around 1 in 200. Therefor unprotected anal sex carries a significant transmission risk. Worldwide unprotected sex accounts for 90% of HIV cases. In saying that although yes there is little proof if any that HIV has been transmitted through means of pre-ejaculatory fluid. There is no 100% reassurance that it is not possible. The best way to allay your fears is to get tested.
Based on what you described, it sounds like the risk is low. However, as Blue787Bunny suggested, you should get tested. If you had sex in the past 72 hours, there might still be time for you to get on a PEP regime and be treated. Use this as a lesson, be safe and always make sure your using protection.
I re-read your OP. The problem with ELISA is that it can give a false negative result particularly when the person is still in the early stages of infection, hence low viral count. In turn the body hasn't produced enough antibodies for the test to detect. This usually occurs within the first 3 months of being infected withh the HIV, we call this period the "Window Period". Therefor it is important to know when was the last time he had unprotected sexual contact before undergoing the test.
If it has already been 72 hours, do i have to wait for 3 months before getting myself tested? I know the risk is low but I'm even having anxiety attacks because of thinking of getting infected by HIV.. I'm still in the closet and I can't drive, my parents usually drive me around.. If I head out to do a test I am afraid that they'll find out that... you know what I mean..
No time limit for getting tested. The 72 hours for PEP is to get medicated just in case you did get infected. Get tested as soon as you can, then go again in three months.
There is a less than 1% chance that you acquired HIV from a single instance of unprotected receptive anal sex even if the person is known to be HIV positive. If the person is of unknown status, then the risk is on the order of 0.1%. If the person tested negative recently, the risk is even smaller. I'd say with 99.9% certainty that you don't have HIV, so don't worry about it. Just practice safe sex from now on and get tested in 3 months to put your mind at ease.
If he tested clean, you're okay, but in the future you should always always use protection. Every time. No matter what. It doesn't matter who it is, how long you've known them, or how clean either of you thinks you are. Remember that HIV is not the only thing you have to protect yourself from. There are other STDs to take into account, as well as just plain old infection. If your sexual partner is the kind of person who wants you to have unprotected sex, they are selfish and they don't care about your safety. You deserve someone who is going to put your health and safety first, not their pleasure. If you're bleeding during sex, there's a problem. You need to slow down. Use more lube. Engage in more foreplay. Just slow down. But the biggest thing to remember in an intimate relationship is that you always have the right to say no, and you do not have to explain yourself. Your body is your own and you choose what other people do with it. Always. You have the right to say no to sex before it happens, and you have the right to decide in the middle of sex that you're uncomfortable and you want to stop. Never let anyone do something to you that you don't want. You are in charge of your body. It's up to you to take good care of it.
Thanks guys on advising me. I'll get a chance for myself to get tested in 3 months just for assurance and put myself at east and will definitely make sure that protection is used in the future. Also does that mean that I can pretty much make sure that I didn't catch the infection? Because my anxiety is killing me...
In three months you will know for sure. I don't know if you have access in Kuala Lumpur to Pre-Exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, but it should be something to think about.
I've received updates from him. He said he never had unprotected sex with strangers, except for his boyfriend. He also added that his last unprotected sex was more than a year ago with his boyfriend. His boyfriend is currently studying overseas so I assume that it is true. If that is the case, along with the ELISA test he showed me, can I be certain that I did not catch the infection?
Important clarification here: For most people, the period of highest transmissability is the period in the first month after they've been infected. Immediately after infection, the virus starts replicating and viral load skyrockets, because there are no antibodies to fight it. Because antibodies have not yet developed, the ELISA test (the instant, rapid test most commonly used) won't show infection, because it is looking at antibodies, not at virus. So BlueBunny is correct that someone will test negative during the first 1 to 3 months after infection. The important distinction is that for most people, this window period -- where they are testing negative, but actually have the virus -- is the time when they are at the greatest risk of transmitting the virus to someone else because viral load is so high. Once the antibodies develop, the viral load drops, and while risk of transmission is still high with unprotected sex, it is not as high as during the window period, because there's a lower viral load in the body at that point. Knowledge is power so the more we understand about transmission risk... the more likely we are to use safer sex precautions. I do agree with the other posters that the likelihood that the OP was infected by this single instance is pretty low. Getting tested is a wise idea always, but it is not something that would give me much worry.
OP, you need to get tested. Even if you were wearing a condom, get tested. In my last relationship, I wore a condom. But we both agreed for each other's safety to get tested every 3 months as part of our relationship.
Another update, he have not have any sexual activities since October 2014, and his check up was done in June 2015, does that mean that the ELISA result is accurate?
If he's had no other sexual or other (IV drug use, for example) risks of exposure since October, 2014, and was tested in June, then the likelihood of a false negative from the ELISA would be exceptionally low (way less than 1%.) In other words, the ELISA test result should be reliable. I'd still get tested, just to be safe.
If you're above the 45 day mark, the confidence in the ELISA is above 90%. Unless you have to pay for the test (there are free tests just about everywhere now), there's no reason you can't get tested now and then get tested again in a couple of months.
So I'll have to wait for at least a month and a half? Yes I'll need to pay for the test because we don't have access to free tests here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Hey guys, is it possible for me to do the p24 antigen test 2 weeks since exposure? As in sharp 2 weeks. And how accurate will the result be? Will it be reliable? ---------- Post added 8th Sep 2015 at 08:08 PM ---------- *potential exposure
